The Texas Senate this week is expected to take up a measure which has been at the heart of the conservative agenda since Republicans achieved a majority in the Legislature in 2002, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Lawmakers will debate a measure that would prohibit union dues from automatically being deducted from the paychecks of local and state government employees and teachers.
“It is unconscionable that public entities would collect dues and PAC funds from their employees to fund unions that turn around and use that money to lobby the public entity and elect public servants," said John Fisher, President of the Texas Associated Builders and Contractors. "If unions cannot survive without public assistance, it is because the union is not adding value for its members. The practice of public entities collecting union dues must be stopped.”
Supporters of the measure, which has failed to pass the Republican dominated Legislature in the last two sessions, say taxpayer funded employees and equipment should not be used to line the pockets of big union bosses. They say if the police officers, firefighters, city and state bureaucrats and teachers want to pay dues to a labor union, they can have those dues automatically withdrawn from their paycheck, just as they would with any other membership organization.
Opponents say this is a way to cripple public employee unions, which generally lean toward the Democratic Party.
Gov. Abbott has made the issue a priority in the current Special Session.
“We know that those funds are used to push policies that undermine job providers in Texas, and in some cases, used to fund campaigns against individual businesses," said Annie Spellman of the National Federation of Independent Business. "Our NFIB/Texas small business members are already at a disadvantage when it comes to burdensome regulations. We don’t need our government giving labor unions even more of a leg up. We applaud the Governor for standing up for small business and working to preserve the Texas business-friendly environment for all.”